connective N2 common politewritten
従って — therefore
従って ・ したがって
Meaning
- therefore / consequently / accordingly — draws a logical conclusion from the preceding statement; formal and written
Key sentence
需要が減っている。従って価格も下がるだろう。
Demand is falling. Therefore, prices will likely drop as well.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| sentence-initial, joining a conclusion to its premise | [premise]。従って [logical conclusion]。 | 在庫がない。従って販売を停止する |
When: Formal and largely written/academic — reports, notices, papers, legal text. In conversation, だから or それで is far more natural.
Examples
本日は祝日である。従って窓口は閉まっている。
Today is a public holiday. Accordingly, the counter is closed.
条件を満たしていない。従って申請は認められない。
The conditions are not met; therefore the application cannot be approved.
When you can't use it
- Sentence-opening 従って ('therefore') is the logical conjunction; keep it apart from the homograph に従って ('in accordance with / as'), which attaches to a preceding word.
Easily confused with
See 従って in real sentences
Jengo shows 従って the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar, A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.